The Most Memorable Space Shuttle Missions

NASA's Prolific Space Shuttles

NASA's storied space shuttle program has seen some amazing highs, and a couple devastating lows over the course of its 30-year history. Soon, the world's first reusable spacecraft will retire to make way for NASA's next phase. But for now, here's a look back at the most memorable missions of the space shuttle's tenure.

First Shuttle Flight: STS-1 (Columbia)

Photo Credit: NASA

Slide 2 of 37

First Shuttle Flight: STS-1 (Columbia)

On April 12, 1981, NASA's maiden space shuttle Columbia lifted off for the first time 30 years ago, carrying astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen.

That mission marked many firsts, including the first time solid rocket engines were used to propel a spaceship into orbit, and the first time a spaceship landed back on Earth by gliding down a runway, instead of splashing into the ocean like Apollo capsules or on land like Russia's spacecraft. Columbia's flight was also the first powered test flight of the space shuttle, and marked the first time a spacecraft's debut test flight was manned, rather than unmanned.

Although the mission saw a few slight anomalies, overall the space shuttle performed exceptionally on its maiden voyage.

Slide 3 of 37

A Shuttle Lands at White Sands: STS-3 (Columbia)

Photo Credit: NASA

Slide 4 of 37

A Shuttle Lands at White Sands: STS-3 (Columbia)

This March 22, 1982 shuttle mission, the third flight of the fleet, was focused on further testing of the shuttle, including its robotic arm system, Canadarm, and its thermal protection shielding.

Because of high winds at Columbia's planned landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the shuttle was forced to glide down at the backup site of White Sands Test Facility near Las Cruces, N.M. While the site, now called the White Sands Space Harbor, still remains a backup landing facility for the shuttle, a shuttle never landed there following the STS-3 mission.

Slide 5 of 37

First American Woman in Space: STS-7 (Challenger)

Photo Credit: NASA

Slide 6 of 37

First American Woman in Space: STS-7 (Challenger)

The STS-7 crew of space shuttle Challenger included Sally Ride when it sailed into orbit on June 18, 1983, making Ride the first American woman in space. The flight came 20 years after the mission that launched the first woman pilot into space, Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, during the former Soviet Union's June 1963 flight of Vostok 6.

During the STS-7 mission, Ride and the other four astronauts onboard, led by Bob Crippen, deployed two telecommunications satellites—one for Canada and one for Indonesia.

This was the seventh space shuttle mission, and was the second mission for the Challenger orbiter. At the time, the five spaceflyers on STS-7 were the largest single crew to fly together in space.

Slide 7 of 37

First African-American Astronaut Reaches Space: STS-8 (Challenger)

Photo Credit: NASA

Slide 8 of 37

Author Bio

Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor

Clara has been SPACE.com's Assistant Managing Editor since 2011, and has been writing for SPACE.com and LiveScience since 2008. Clara has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what her latest project is, you can follow Clara on Google+.